Blood Run
by WiseKraker
Summary: Previously called Running out of Blood "It's the sign we've been looking for. First the bats come, and then Sasuke appears. Wherever strawberries grow, a bee hive must be near by" "So...Sasuke's a strawberry?" "Actually he would be the bee" HIATUS
1. Strange Birds

-Prolouge

-Birds across the sky

I stared at the inky black sky with patches of gray, covering the moon from it's rightful place as king of the night. These eerie gray clouds slid slowly across the sky as I gazed at them from my bedroom donor window.

Soft 'pit pats' of rain tapped the window. I flunked out onto my bed.

"This weekend sucked."

It was the last day before I started school again as a junior at Frank-Ace High.

I had planned all sorts of things to do this weekend, however the untold rainy weather had ruined anything I wanted to do. I turned my head and stared at my pale reflection in the mirror. I pulled on a strawberry lock to verify if it was real. Nobody knew where the odd color of hair had come from, except that I had it The doctors called it "A boon bestowed from Mother Nature herself."

I called it "the ugliest and rattiest thing I've ever seen."

It did nothing to complement my pale skin or my deep green eyes. Emerald I think.

In fact my eyes against my skin made me look paler if anything. My mom won't let me dye my hair a normal color, because she says "you shouldn't cover something beautiful dear." Ugh. As for my skin, I couldn't get a tan if I tried. I'd probably get burned, if anything. My figure is far from perfect; far from anything. I'm probably one of the smallest things you've ever seen. An anorexic would look like Pamela Anderson next to me.

I now stared at the poorly wrapped hello kitty diary on my chipped dresser. My best friend Ino's birthday present. She had a current obsession with Hello Kitty because she said it reminded her of young she used to be. Her birthday was today, but I didn't go to her party. The fact that it had been changed from a pool party to a movie party didn't change my mind. I just didn't go to parties. The last one I went to was my baby cousin Momo's. I was nine, she was three, and the entire time you had a bunch high on captain crunch and Hi-C punch kids screaming all over the place. One kid needed stitches on his eyebrow, because he tried to show his aunt how the witch from "Bed knobs and Broomsticks" fell of her broom. He flipped off the couch head first and scraped his head on the coffee table. My cousin Momo spat up on the cake, so I couldn't even enjoy that.

The reason I didn't go to this party however wasn't because I was afraid of a kid getting stitches. I just didn't want to spend the day hanging out with preps, crying over "The Notebook". Nor did I want to gossip about how Hinata had gotten her hair cut from her hip to shoulder length or how cute Naruto had gotten, since he moved back from the States.

I rolled over on my empty stomach and kicked off my beaten gunk-green converse.

You know that feeling when you're about to fall asleep and everything looks seems so surreal? Right before I closed my eyes, I remember looking around my plain gray colored room, illuminated by the hallway light. I looked out the window, listening to the lullaby of the rain. Strange black birds fluttered across the sky.

"Huh?" Then my eyes sunk into darkness.

tell me what you think


	2. New Kid

The pinching sun pricked at my cheeks and eyes.

"Mmrph!"

I was so not into getting up today. But my mother had a different plan.

"Sakura…Sakura honey guess what today is."

"No", I mumbled. I buried my head deep under the comforter, the sun's rays disappearing. I hoped my mother would disappear along with it.

After surprisingly hearing nothing for a few minutes, I poked my head out from the covers to see if my wish had come true.

My mother was looking at my best friend Ino's present.

"Sweetie, you left Ino's present here. Was the party okay?"

"I didn't go."

"But I thought she had switched it to an indoor party. You could have still gone."

I shrunk back under the covers. "I didn't want to go."

"Why not? Where were for five hours yesterday?"

"I went to the mall."

"But Sakura, why didn't you go." I was annoyed but her voice was so filled with concern I gritted my teeth and spoke.

"Temari was there."

"Oh" 'nough said.

She didn't say anything after that and stepped out of my room. I relaxed as I heard footsteps fade downstairs. Maybe I could sleep more.

"Sakura!" Damnit. "Sakura, wake up! The next time I come in here you'd better be dressed or I will drag you out of this house in your pajamas!"

She wasn't kidding.

She actually dragged me out in my snoopy pajamas one day to school in the 8th grade.

I rolled out of bed on to the cold ground with a 'thunk'.

I groaned and rubbed my throbbing head.

My mother must have heard my clumsiness because she called to me, "Now that you're up breakfast will be ready in twenty minutes!"

I untangled myself from the comforter and dragged my feet to the bathroom down the hall. While I was taking a hot shower I reminisced of the strange birds I'd seen the night before. "I've never seen that kind of bird before. Maybe I have, but where. They moved so strangely."

I was broken from my thoughts by a soft rapping on the door.

"Sakura," I turned my head towards the door. "Hurry up sport, or you'll be late for school!" I felt my face scrunch up into something horrible. Sport? Eww. He hadn't called me that since I was in elementary.

I turned the tap off and grabbed a towel.

I un-fogged the mirror and took a look at my reflection. My cheeks were red from the heat but I still looked pale.

After running a blow dryer through my pink hair and a brush I guess, I quickly decided what to wear. First day of school; nothing special. My school was one of the few schools that didn't require uniform. Thank god. I picked out my favorite pair of ripped blue-jeans. The only designer pair I had and I'd destroyed them on the tire swing last summer, when my friend Kiba pushed me off of it. I chuckled to myself when I remembered how far I'd chased him after that. I picked out a pale blue spaghetti strapped shirt. I looked at myself in the mirror and horror struck when I noticed that the shirt I was wearing looked too small around the chest department. My cheeks burned when I realized my friends hadn't been teasing me about _them_ over the summer for nothing. I rushed to my closet and grabbed a gray hooded jacket from it. It was getting cold outside anyways.

I pulled on some dark blue slip on converse, grabbed Ino's gift and brisk walked down the spiral stairs to the kitchen.

My father was picking at the eggs my mother had just served him. No one really liked her scrambled eggs but that never stopped her from making them. My mother proceeded to make a helping for her and me. No one noticed my presence until they heard the scrapping of my chair. My fathers' eyes flickered at me. He smiled. "Hey Sport."

I made another face. Again with the Sport thing.

"Hey Dad" I said smiling brightly at him. "Hi mom" I said with an even brighter smile. My mother turned to me.

"You excited about school?"

"Not really. I guess I'm excited to see Ten Ten again since she'd gone away over the summer to China. And Naruto just got back from the States."

"That so?" My father smiled at me again, since it had been a while since we had a real conversation at breakfast.

"Yeah." After a blast of awkward silence I quickly stood up and ran away from my mothers eggs before she could get a helping down my throat. Gift in hand, I skipped towards the door to grab my miniature messenger bag. That's what Ino called it because it was so small.

"I'll see you later!"

"But Sakura, you didn't eat breakfast!"

"Bye Mom! Bye Dad!"

I slammed the front door shut and took a hundred meter dash to the corner. I had escaped my mothers eggs.

After catching my breath, I looked up and noticed something HUGE chugging down the street toward me.

"Sakura! Hey, Sakura!"

"Holy toad, what is that!" I muttered to myself.

I couldn't make out the person because my vision was blurry from the adrenaline that was pumping in me. But that blurry vision came clear when the giant reached me and scooped me right off my two feet.

"Ah! Naruto put me down!"

"I missed you so much!"

"I know, but that doesn't give you the right to cut off my air supply!" I gasped.

"Oh… sorry."

The giant slowly placed me down as if I were a doll, after nearly strangling me to death.

He mumbled another apology and looked away. This gave me a chance to get a good look at him. I hadn't seen him for almost two years since he moved to the states. He would be staying here for about a year, then get on some boat and row back to live with his distant family.

Naruto had changed _a lot._ He had gone from being about two inches shorter than me, to almost a full head over me. His eyes had become finer and more sincere. His hair went from a short-never-stay-in-one-place cut, to a more refined hair cut. He had bangs too, that almost covered his eyes. His shoulders became wider, chest broader, well built. You could see it through his smug green tee shirt. He looked so different. He was…kind of cute.

"Whoa."

My blank stare must have scared the crap out of him, because a look of horror struck his face like a truck.

"Sakura what's wrong? Are you sick? Is it me? Do I have something on my face?"

I smiled. Same Naruto.

"No, you've just gotten so big. You're taller than me now." I frowned. He looked like his father. I won't get into the chromatics of that now. It's not a fun topic to talk about.

I turned the corner and walked toward the bus stop, leaving Naruto on the corner.

"You coming to school today?" I called to him.

He walked up to my pace with ease and looked into space for a few minutes.

"Well…"  
"Oh, yeah. I was supposed to go and pick up Hinata today, since I haven't seen her for so long, but her cousin told me she left early."

"Scholastics team."

"Huh?"

"She's on the Scholastics team and they have a meet with Bridgewood today. She told me about a week a go she'd be competing early today before school started so that she wouldn't miss any classes. She had to awake up pretty early."

"Hinata? But don't you have to speak in front of people for that? I remember she could barely read a poem out loud in English class. She even passed out once, when the teacher yelled at her because she didn't speak loud enough"

I shrugged "Things changed. She decided to get a little bolder." I paused and decide not to tell him her reason for the change was for him "She joined the volleyball team too. You should watch one of her games she's really good."

Naruto seemed impressed so I stopped at that.

We arrived at the school gates just in time for the first bell. Naruto and I parted and scurried to our first classes. I had Trigonometry, he had Gym. Poor guy; the new gym teacher was harsh and wouldn't stand for Naruto's hyperactive behavior. If he couldn't stay still through attendance, he'd be running laps for days.

I walked through the threshold and took a seat in the back behind the tallest dude in my class so I could put my head down, without being noticed. Something didn't feel right. Usually I'd have the back row to myself. But today there was someone else next to me. I felt a strange black aura burn through me and make me tremble. I lifted my head slightly to peek over my shoulder. I stared into coal black eyes. I wasn't expecting their intensity and jumped five feet out of my chair.

The eyes belonged to a boy with short hair as dark as his eyes. His skin resembled the intense shine of the sun, but soft as the skin of a newborns'. My fingers tingled to touch it, but I knew better. My eyes flickered over him once. His body was the formed of a models'. Not skinny, but not way macho either. Muscles formed as if sculpted from stone. He looked so…perfected and frightening. My breath hitched as I noticed he hadn't taken his eyes off of me. He smirked like the devil and my eyes flashed from his. Half of the period had passed and my pounding heart wouldn't subside. It was nerve racking. My head almost spinning from the energy coming off of him, although I was sure he had stooped glaring at me.

My breath was getting heavier and heavier, and I felt like I wanted to jump out my skin and scream!

Before I died of pressing anxiety, the bell rung for class to end. It was almost surreal.

I no longer felt the boy's heavy atmosphere and discovered his chair was empty. He was the first to go before anyone had risen from their chair. I sat at my desk staring at the door until I was the last one in the classroom. It wasn't until the late bell rung that I had realized my life needed to move on and I was late for Physics.

**Gah, I remember when I wrote this years ago. I made so many grammatical errors I think I'm going to gag. Well, I hope this is a lttile better.**

**Reviews inspire me^^**


	3. Presentation

I still had trouble breathing after my encounter with the 'New Kid'.

I shivered once more after remembering his devilish smirk. It filled me with a kind of dread that said I would die in the next few hours. I looked over my shoulder ever five seconds through the empty hallways as if someone was after me. Like in one of those old black and white movies were the girl was followed by the insane, yet ingenious stalker down a streetlamp lit alleyway.

I turned into the drafty, now spooky hallway to walk up two flights to my physics class. One step after the other. These staircases got longer over the summer. Okay, one more flight to go…Made it. Now to walk a few more doors and around the corner. My feet moved faster and faster against my own will in anticipation that I would arrive to class alive! I was almost there when I suddenly bumped into someone coming around the corner.

"Oof!" I'd bumped into Hinata.

"Sorry Hinata."

"It's okay." Hinata had a voice that was so soft, it was barely above a whisper and you had to listen very closely to hear her. But her voice was pleasant so you wanted to hear it.

Hinata pushed her shoulder-blade length hair behind her ears.

"Wow! You cut your hair. It's nice." I had heard that Hinata had cut her hair. But actually seeing the cut, I realized that it actually gave Hinata a much bolder appearance. Maybe now people wouldn't accidentally smack her in the face with their backpacks in the hallway. I mean that in the most heartfelt way.

The timid girl blushed. "Thank-you."

"So you just got back from the meet huh? Did you guys win?"

She nodded. "Seven-Four"

"You know Naruto's back from the States right? He's petty excited to see you. You can tell him all about what you've been up to."

"Oh. Really?" I nodded. She shifted the science text book that she was holding, which reminded me of the class that I was late for. Damnit.

"Hey Hinata, I'll see you at lunch okay." She was probably going to say something, but I didn't give her a chance to as she was about five feet behind me.

I slid around the corner and stumbled into the classroom almost falling flat on my face.

I was met by laughter from the class. The teacher wasn't their yet. I must've looked like an idiot.

I grumbled in my embarrassment and shot an ugly look around the classroom to cover it up.

"Hey Sakura, over here." My annoying addresser was none other than my best friend Ino.

I shuffled over to her." Hey Ino."

She patted an empty seat next to her.

"Come sit, and tell me _all_ about your summer. I haven't seen you, like all summer have you bee _avoiding_ me.?"

"No I've been pretty busy this summer. My mom got me a summer job" I lied. Well not entirely. My mom did get me a summer job at a bakery. But I kept showing up late since I'd sleep in every day. So they fired me after the first week. Like I really wanted to wake up every day at 6:00 in the blazing heat of summer to go to work…in the summer. The real reason I hadn't seen Ino all summer was…well…

I shuffled around in my chair as Ino's present stuck into my back uncomfortably.

"So I went on a cruise for two weeks before my birthday and I met this really cute guy who was a volunteer lifeguard for the summer. You should have seen him Sakura, even a total boy hater like you would have totally fallen in love him, he was…"

When Ino starts to drone like this I know to tune out and pay attention to something more interesting. Like a plain wall.

When was the teacher gonna get here? There was only fifteen minutes left in the period.

Before I died of boredom, Ino said something that interested me.

"Hey you know what? I heard there's a new transfer student here, and Ten Ten said-"

"Huh?" The look on my face made it obvious that I wasn't listening. Ino let out an annoyed huff.

"Sakura, were you even listening?"

"Uh yeah, so what about this new student?" I added quickly. She gave me a sly look then continued.

"Well _I_ heard that there's anew transfer student, though I'm not sure if it's a girl or a boy…"

"I it's a boy", I interrupted.

"Oh _really._" Oops. "Do tell."

"Uh well, I've only heard, that there was a new student and he was a guy, you see I-I never actually met him…yeah"

"You're lying."

"I am not."

"You are _to_. You're blushing Sakura."

Now that she mentions it, my face felt pretty warm. Now it was warmer.

She squealed in delight. "Oh, you _do _know him. Tell me, what's he like? Is he cute? Was it love at first sight? Have you talked to him?"

"_Ino!" _At a certain excitement level Ino could get quite loud.

"Good morning class."

Everyone's attention was suddenly brought to the front of the room. The teacher had finally shown up. Thank god. He was tall, and had gray hair and high cheek bones. An odd hair color for someone who didn't look any older than his late twenties He was pretty handsome too, except his bored expression seemed to suck out most of his charm

"I apologize for my lateness. However I was at main office to pick up a student. Now everyone's attention was focused on the person to the right of the teacher.

"You will call me Kakashi-sensei, and this-" He pointed to the student. "-is Uchiha Sasuke.

My heart stopped. It was the same boy from my last class. Those same cold eyes grazed the room and stopped at me. They bore through. It felt like he looking deep into my own being. Shivered and felt that black aura again. I noticed my breathing staggered.

"Sakura are you okay?" Ino's hushed voice seemed to bring me back a little. My eyes flashed to her and I nodded. I looked down at my bitten, black chipped finger nails and attempted to focus on anything. Anything except him. I failed miserably. When I looked back up at him his eyes were still on me. Finally Kakashi-sensei spoke again.

"I guess I'll let him say a few words about himself." His last few words faded out as he pulled a small orange book from his back pocket. He slumped down against the table and his plain brown eyes started flicking over the pages of whatever his little novel contained. Although with his bored expression it was hard to believe that he was really reading at all.

It sounded like someone had sucked out all of the sound from the room because of how quiet it was. And that silence filled my ears like the annoying buzzing in my ears until I thought I would scream. Then he spoke. His voice was almost magical. Like his voice alone could calm a storm. It was smooth and pulled everyone in; like the rolling undertow of the sea.

"You know my name already, and I don't have much to add to that. I shouldn't be here for long, so that's all you really need to know. Don't be offended if I don't speak to you. I don't plan on making friends. On that note I don't plan on making enemies either. But if you plan on starting something, I plan on finishing it."

Then the bell rang. And once again, I was left as the last person in the room.

**Gah, more grammatical errors that I had to fix.**

**Please Review^^**


	4. It's you

"I've got to stop doing that" I decided. Every time I had an encounter with the 'New Kid'; excuse me "Sasuke-Kun" , as every girl was calling him, I was left barely able to breath and late for my next class. This was too much. Sasuke was in two of my class, and nine out of ten chances, said that I would see him at lunch.

My next class was P.E.; something I wasn't sure I could handle. Not only am I not the greatest athlete, but I'd just had two encounters in a row with the boy who had set my life on fire and left me breathless with my tail in between my legs. Not a good feeling.

I shuffled my jelly legs across the gym floor and sat down on a random spot near against the wall. I wrinkled my nose at the profuse smell of funk in the gym. I scoped my surroundings and noticed a few familiar faces. There was the snotty click, Temari and a few of her girls. I noticed Ino in the crowd but she's not really snotty. She just likes to talk as much as they do. Then there was Gaara in the back. He was a cool loner who isn't social and doesn't give anyone problems. But talked to him once and found out he was pretty cool to talk to. So I shuffled over to him.

He greeted me with a blank stare.

"Hey Gaara, How was you're summer?"

He shrugged. "Okay I guess. Didn't do much. You?"

It's strange the way he speaks. A fire could be burning around him and I guarantee you his expression wouldn't change.

"Yeah it was pretty cool. I uh, I got a summer job."

"Yeah?"

"Yup." I sat down next to him. He didn't say much more. He probably wasn't in much of a talking mood, and I get bored easily.

Luckily, my boredom wasn't sustained as the Gym teacher entered the hall.

"Okay! Everyone front and center on the free-throw line!"

Of course half the people in the room didn't know what that was. So I waltzed over to the free-throw line, and everyone who had half a noodle followed me.

That wasn't too many people. But once everyone was assembled the teacher barked his name and started on some ground rules.

"My name, is Gai-Sensei. You can refer to me as Gai-Sensei, or coach, or dude; whatever you kids call each other theses days, ah ha ha ha. Uh, yeah. So starting tomorrow, I want to see sweats and sneakers for a fitness test. Now some of the rules of the gym are, no gum chewing; no-"

You already know about my short attention span. Bored with Gai -Sensei's drone, my mind floated to more important things, like exactly who Sasuke is and where he came from. But thought of Physics class made me sick to my stomach. I felt a jab to my ribcage and turned to see Ino. Funny; I hadn't realized she was next to me. She giggled

" Hey, who does Gai-sensei look like to you?"

"Huh?"

"Ugh, why are you so spaced out all the time? I _said, _who does Gai-sensei remind you of?"

"oh, umm…" I squinted at Gai. Huh. Bowl shaped head; wicked eyebrows, oh yeah.

"Lee right?"

She giggled again.

"Excuse me?" Uh-oh "Am I boring you two over here, or what?"

"Oh" he was pretty close to my face. Close enough to count ever eyebrow hair on is eyebrows."

"Oh what? It's the first day and you're already spacing out miss-"he checked the roster.

"-Haruno?" I nodded and turned my head to my left. Gaara was staring. My face felt slightly warmer.

"Well Ms. Haruno, I don't want anymore interruptions today or for the rest of the semester while I'm up here reciting one of my brilliant speeches to you, understood?"

I mumbled a yes. At that moment the bell rung and I was saved of any further embarrassment.

I scuttled out of the sweaty gym. I checked my program. Great; English on the fourth floor next. Guess who I saw walking through the hallway on the way to the staircase? This new kid just couldn't get enough of me I tell ya.

I stopped abruptly to turn around and in my rush crashed in to some jock walking right behind me.

"Aw shit" I swore through gritted teeth. I was caught at the wrist by something icy. I my head snap towards my rescuer. To my displeasure, it was Sasuke staring back at me with cold eyes. At that moment there was a red flash and everything…froze. An odd sensation ripped through my body as if my heart stopped beating. It suffocated me. I got a good look at his eyes. They weren't the usual black. They were very glassy and I swore I saw a red glint to them.

"It's you." His lips quivered with such small movement I almost wasn't sure it was him. I could only tell from his rolling voice.

"What?" My voice came in a desperate whisper. His grip tightened and a smile flashed across his face. He laughed once and everything rolled back the way it was like a recording; just like that.

"Huh?"

I could barely feel the rest of the day. Lunch with Naruto was okay I guess. I don't remember what he said but he was pretty excited about it. When he asked me if I was okay, I nodded and walked away. That was pretty much the best reaction you got out of me for the rest of the day.

After the final bell of the day rung everyone scuttled out the school including me. The mellow sun was already setting; its rays melting on the playground set up for elementary students. It played reds and oranges and shadows everywhere.

I used a stick to play a rhythmic 'tip' tip' on the gates as I walked home. A childish thing to do but, whatever.

"I've never been so happy to be home in my life!" I yelled as I walked through the door.

"Sakura?" damn it; happy feeling gone.

My mother walked through the kitchen to greet me. "Is everything okay?" there she goes again with that unbelievable amount of concern in her voice again.

"Yes mother I'm fine" I said stressing every syllable in that sentence.\

She frowned " Well, you sound pretty stressed out for the first day of school."

"Yeah, well there's some new kid at school and he's freaking me out." I started up the spiral stair case to my room.

"Oh? Is it a boy?" I knew she was smiling.

"Yeah, what of it?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"Nothing."

"I thought so." I stomped upstairs to my room and flopped onto my bed. Geat now mom thinks I have a crush on Sasuke.

But I couldn't get that _idiot_ Sasuke out of my head. What did he mean "It's you".

"Fuck it." I kicked off my shoes and sat up to change.

As I did that a drop tapped my nose. Followed by a few more.

"Ugh, rain." I struggled to shut the creaky window, but it finally shut. I just hoped I would have to open it again for a while.

I rolled over on my side and listened to the music of the rain.

Thunder rolled by. Yeah that's what Sasuke's voice reminded me of the rolling waves, or thunder. And I swore through the storm I heard the thunder say "It's you", but I was too tired to care.

**Please give me your honest opinion on this chapter. Any criticism helps me improve.**


	5. Dream Sequence

**Dream Sequence**

**I was running again. I knew it had happened before because I was somewhat familiar with my surroundings. But I didn't know why I was running. Who was I running from, running to?**

**I sped down a strangely lit alleyway. It had an angry fading glow that illuminated my every step and seemed to follow me. Flashes of gold and red consistently pierced my sight and in their shadows were figures that resembled humans. Now the alleyway was coming to and end and I had no where else to go. But as I approached it I began to make out two sinister eyes, a fiery red glaring at me with a hungry intent that stopped me in an instant. I heard a growl and white sharp teeth showed themselves. I'm not sure what I was looking at, but whatever it was, it was coming.**

**End Dream Sequence**

I find it strange that no matter what kind of dream you had you wake up completely refreshed. That was the case this morning. Glancing at my clock though told me that that doesn't guarantee that you'll wake up on time.

It was five minute to eight and my class starts at eight fifteen. I stared out into the fuzzy sunlit room and noticed that something was missing. Oh yeah, my squawking crow of a mother. Isn't it her job to make sure I get up on time? She knows the alarm on my clock doesn't work.

So I followed my daily clumsy, lightheaded routine of stumbling around from bathroom to my bedroom to the bathroom and somehow downstairs for breakfast. On the way there I had managed to stub my toe twice and have some possible brain damage. This would be the case had my father decided to fix the light fixture like he said he would yesterday, which is odd since he's never been the kind of person to leave house work lying around. Entering the kitchen, I noticed something else missing. No smell of eggs, bacon, not even burning toast. But at the kitchen table was my mother, knocked out cold over the morning newspaper.

Huh? My mother and the rest of her side of the family had always been known to wake up before the rooster. What was she doing conked out at the table? Approaching with caution, I timidly poked at her shoulder. Nothing.

"Mom?" No answer. But her soft snoring did assure signs of life.

"Mom", I said a little louder with no response.

"Mom"!

"No need to shout sport, your mom had a rough night." I snapped my head towards my father's voice. At least he was normal. He entered the kitchen cadaverous as usual in the morning, pitifully trying to adjust his lopsided tie.

My head rolled lazily to the kitchen window. The sky was much darker than I remembered. You couldn't tell if it was actually day time or not. But I didn't think twice about the obscurity of the sky. "But what about breakfast?" My father ignored the insensitive comment and muttered something incoherently.

"What?"

"She had night shift until almost five this morning" he mumbled.

My eyes flicked in his direction once before staring blankly out the window again. "Why so late?" He didn't answer.

"Dad"? There was a snort before he spoke again.

"There have actually been quite a few patients with strange cases coming in and it's been doubling the work load at the hospital besides the many patients already."

I furrowed my brow. "Strange cases like what?"

He sighed heavily. "I don't know, maybe you'll talk about I in school. By the way aren't you late?"

Oh yeah. The kitty cat clock read eight thirty. Dammit it didn't even eat anything yet.

"Yeah, I'll see you later dad." I snatched up my book bag from the space under the stairs and brushed passed my sloth-like father, slamming the door on the way out.

The air was surprisingly chilly and the sky was even darker than before. It had the same look as about ten coats of black oil paint, and the air was just as heavy. However, it didn't hold as much attention as the sight ten feet in front of me.

There he was, in front of my house with the same wide grin on his face.

"Kiba"?

My summer hood friend grinned wider and outstretched his arms for me to run into them.

"Kiba!" I ran faster than I thought I could and crashed into him almost hoping I could plow him into the ground. It barely fazed him. He pulled me tight into his arms and I breathed deeply. He still smelled like a dog that uses human shampoo, a surprisingly good smell. I pulled away to get a good look at him. He still has the same unruly hair and wolf-like grin from two months ago. But he looked much paler than he did before.

"Hey." he hummed. My heart leapt into my throat.

"What are you doing here? I thought you moved to the states."

He pulled me tighter. "I came back." My brows furrowed at this and reluctantly, I pulled a way from his tantalizing scent. "I know you came back. But I want to know why. You should be in college Kiba, so _why_ are you in Japan?"

He sighed heavily and averted my eyes as he spoke. "It isn't going to work out for me Sakura."

"What does that mean?" I growled. "Kiba, we've spent _months_ trying to figure out how to get you to college. _Your_ parents put up a second mortgage to afford it! What do you mean it won't work out? It has to!"

Kiba put up his hands defensively. "Sakura look, it's not like I'm dropping out on my own. I mean, it's like this. See…a lot of things have happened since I left to go to the states." His speech sped up. "It's really hard to explain. I shouldn't be there, I shouldn't even be here. I just wanted to see you, I mean…" He paused and seemed like he would continue if not for the steady drops that suddenly began to fall from the sky.

My shoulders slumped. "Kiba, you're not making any sense. I'll have to talk to you later, I've got school I'm _so _late! I'll talk to you later!"

My attempt to scurry off was abruptly stopped when Kiba latched on to my arm forcefully.

"Ugh! Kiba, stop! I said later!" I jerked my arm over and over with no avail.

His grip tightened. "I don't_ have_ later. I only have _now_!" he growled.

"Kiba, you're hurting me!" but my cries to him didn't seem to get through. My eyes darted from his face to his white knuckles and then straight into his eyes. They burned red and the muscles in his arms rippled. This Kiba wasn't _my_ Kiba. This was a monster. This was a terrifying being from another world. And I wanted nothing more than to get away from him. Then, something truly amazing happened. A strange forceful blur hit Kiba hard in his chest, winding him. He relinquished his hold on me, and I bolted down the street. By now there was a steady pour but I didn't stop. I didn't stop until I was safely secure in school and gasping for air.

I was on my knees shaking, soaked and practically crying when I heard the sounds of footsteps advancing in my direction. They stopped about a foot from my face though I refused to look up at whoever had found me in the pitiful state I was in. A cool hand touched my shoulder and en electric current ripped through me. I gasped and my head snapped up.

It was Sasuke and he was almost soaked from head to toe. His hair stuck to the sides of his face, strangely framing it. His soaked t-shirt and jeans clung to his body and he was now standing in a puddle of water that he had brought into the school with him. Even in his disheveled state, Sasuke still didn't lose that enticing charm of his, and I hate admitting that I was actually trapped in his eyes. That was until he brought me back to earth.

"Hey! Snap out of it. Are you okay?" he shook my shoulder gently. My eyelashes fluttered a few times before I became aware of exactly where I was and who I was with. Instead of bolting for the nearest exit like I normally would have done if my brain wasn't as numb, and my legs didn't feel like two large bags of sand, I stared dumbly at his face. "Huh?"

Sasuke pursed his lips. He stepped my body and pushed me to my feet with ease. "Get up. We're going to the nurse." Now my senses began to kick in.

"Wait, what? Stop, let go of me! Let go!" I pushed against his grasp with no avail.

"Sh! Cut it out, you'll alarm the whole school!" he pressed his icy hand to my mouth, silencing me and wrapped his other arm firmly around my shoulders.

I was completely powerless and pitifully dragged along the never ending, strangely silent hallways. Then, there was a soft hiss in my ear. It was soothing yet it caused my heart to beat unbearably fast. I couldn't control my heavy breathing as my head spun out of control. I was spinning into a thick darkness.


	6. Face First

I woke up under mounds of itchy blankets in the nurses office. It was hot and almost impossible to move. I was surrounded by a privacy curtain. To my right I saw two shadows. From their voice I assumed that it was Ms. Shizune, the whiny school nurse and the stern Principal Tsunade. They spoke in hushed excitement.

"Two days into school and Haruno's already made it to the nurses office! And what's interesting is that she's managed to grab _Uchiha Sasuke_ with her this time!"

"I personally think its exiting!" Shizune's voice increased in volume as she spoke. "Sakura has managed to catch the attention of an _Uchiha_! Don't you remember how popular his brother was when he attended here?" I could hear Shizune quiver with excitement. '_That's it; I'm not listening to these old betties gossip anymore. It's way too hot'_. I took a deep breath and heaved the blankets off my body before they slid back down." Was I really that weak? In my hopeless struggle to untangle myself from them, I caught the attention of Mrs. Shizune, the school nurse, and Principal Tsunade who were in a heated discussion in front of me. Shizune immediately rushed to my side.

"Sakura, honey, are you alright?" She brought her warm hands to my forehead and cupped my face "Oh my goodness, when Sasuke brought you here you were shaking head to toe, unconscious, I was so worried! Please, tell me what happened!"

Tsunade cleared her throat and Shizune immediately stepped away from me. I pulled the last blanket away from my lap and sat up to face Tsunade. The potato chip bag for a mattress crinkled every inch that I moved crackling loudly in the silent office. Tsunade had her arms crossed and eyes focused on mine. I turned my head away from her gaze awkwardly. "You certainly do have a strange habit of ending up in the nurse's office at _least_ once a month Haruno." I turned my gaze back to hers. She studied my face hard for any change in facial expression; a sign; anything. I swallowed but my eyes never left hers.

"Yeah…I guess". It was true. I've always been a sickly child. Gaining weight for me is next to impossible. Even during vacation when all I do is pig out. Ino _hates_ me for it. I already have a pale complexion. The slightest bit of exhaustion makes me look sick and it's to the nurses office I go. Even if I'm not sick. Not that I'm complaining. I pretty much get cutting privileges at least once a month, and I've become close to Shizune in the process. Tsunade shifted her wait before talking again. "Uchiha Sasuke has reported to me that he found you staggering in the halls on the way to class. He said you were soaked and looked ill. You then asked for assistance to the nurse's office but passed out on the way here." She raised a blond brow. "Can I trust his statement as true?"

I almost couldn't believe it. Sasuke had covered for me. I suddenly felt warm inside. And it didn't even matter that I was still soaked to the bone and would probably be out with pneumonia for the rest of the weak.

"Yeah" I nodded numbly.

"Oh, Sakura, isn't it wonderful. You have found yourself a dashing prince!"

Stop. Hold the phone. Prince?

"Huh?" I didn't feel warm anymore; I was on fire. My cheeks blazed and I could feel a block of embarrassment sink to the bottom of my stomach. Shizune ran to my side again and wrapped a heavy blanket around me. "Isn't it wonderful to know that you have a knight in shining amour that will carry you to safety when you're in danger?" Shizune gushed. I swallowed.

"Well, that's an interesting way to recall it but really all I remember was passing out and waking up here. From the looks of it, Sasuke only helped me to the office the way anyone with common sense to see that I wasn't 100% would have…I guess."

Tsunade snorted. "Yeah, some prince; He dropped you off like you were diseased. It was like he couldn't wait to get rid of you. Actually.." Tsunade rested her chin in the palm of her hand. " He looked like he could use some rest himself. Between the two of you it looked like you were just asleep in his arms. I initially thought he needed more attention than you did. His eyes were dark and he looked stressed. But he insisted that he was fine and went back to class I assume." Tsunade looked thoughtful for a moment before turning her attention back to me with a smug smile.

"Well, since you're up I think you should change into your gym clothes and head back to class. It's almost fourth period, you know."

Shizune wrapped another blanket around me. "That is, if you're feeling all right."

I groaned, pulling myself from the blankets of doom and stood up. I was a little dizzy, but I could stand on my own two feet. If anything, I needed to get away from the smell of rubbing alcohol and latex; away from Tsunade's sharp tongue and Shizune's motherly instinct. "I'm fine _see_? I think I'm just going to go change now."

I slowly made my way to the door. The first few steps felt like I had two sand bags tied around my knees and I stumbled. I heard Principal Tsunade sigh.

"Get yourself together Haruno. Are you alright or do you need to rest more?" she droned. "Of course you could always have you prince take care of you if you manage to fall down a flight of stars on the way to the gym."

Never liked the woman. Never. "I'll be fine. My pants are still soaked through is all" I said through gritted teeth. On my way out into the hallway, I could hear Shizune fuss at Principal Tsunade. "Why would you say that? That girl is a little weak at heart and she doesn't need the _principal_ bullying her. Oh you!"

My pace quickened as I made my way to the staircase. The gym was on the third floor. And I was on the fourth. I took the hand rail and started down the staircase. Ha! Trip down a flight of stairs you say? I'm not that clumsy. Tsunade's more likely to trip, with her enormous chest always obscuring her view!

That day I learned that Karma's a bitch that can't wait to feed your words to you for breakfast because no sooner had those thoughts entered my mind, did I slip on my shoelace and fly face first down the stairs.


	7. Nothing's adding up

My flight down the stairs was stopped short by a pair of strong arms. They wrapped around me warmly, providing much more comfort than the itchy, sweaty blankets from the nurses' office had. I fell limp in the arms of my rescuer from shock, until a familiar voice hummed in my ear.

"Watch your step."

Gaara! '_Aww, man I crashed right into him! Come on Sakura, get up! Get up! GET UP'_

However, getting up was a little hard to do at this point, since I was being held up completely by him. He had wrapped his arms around my waist to keep me from crashing into the ground. Seeing me flustered, he pushed me back onto my feet and unwound his hands from my waist. I had to have been completely red by then.

Still breathing heavily, I smoothed out my tousled hair and straightened my clothes before finally looking up at Gaara; which was a mistake because as soon as my eyes met his, my cheeks flushed and I swear I saw him smirk at me.

"Hu-hey..uh..what are you doing in the stairwells?" I hated sounding weak.

Gaara only extended his right arm which held a large brown paper bag in front of my face. "These are your gym clothes." I blinked once before reaching out for the bag. "How did you-"

"Ino has a way of knowing everything. She caught me in between one of my classes and told me that you were in the Nurse's office, soaked, although she didn't know how, where or why it happened and that you would need these. She probably would have done it herself accept she said something about cheerleading practice or whatever. Anyways it looks like she was right. How you got yourself into your predicament is another story." I shivered once in my soaked attire.

Predicament? I was in a predicament now? Though I'll admit that between the weather, Kiba's sudden return to Japan and his strange behavior and Sasuke, I wasn't sure what you could call what was happening to me right now. But I didn't think you could connect everything together, could you? Of course Gaara didn't know these details did he? Like a mind reader, Gaara answered my question.

" I think, you should stay clear of Sasuke", Gaara said carefully. His words had a weight of importance to them, as if they were a warning. As I collected my thoughts Gaara was already half way up the staircase. I spun around with the intention of asking exactly how he knew I had come in contact with Sasuke.

"Why?" was the question that came out. What was it about this Sasuke kid that had the school buzzing, Shizune ant Tsunade jittery and Gaara holding a conversation?

Gaara turned his head towards me and his voice echoed in the staircase.

"Because he's dangerous. I'd hate to see something…unfortunate happen to you" With those words he turned and walked out of the staircase into the hallways.

Dangerous? His answer had only put more questions in my head. I stared at the spot that Gaara had stood, replaying the whole conversation in my mind over and over again trying to put together what had just happened. The unnatural skies, Kiba's return, Sasuke's appearance, Shizune's excitement, Tsunade's annoyance, Gaara's words, all didn't really match up. But I felt like they had to. I shivered involuntarily. It was time to get out of these wet clothes.

Hanging on the hand rail this time, I made my way down the rest of the steps until I reached the Gym.

The school bell rang for fourth period as I finished pulling my gym shirt on. I checked my appearance in the tall mirror on the side of the lockers; grey sweat pants that were way too big because I'd borrowed them from Chouji, Ino's ex, and never returned them . (They were clean) A black t-shirt that I borrowed from Shino, Ino's other ex, which was also too big, but not as big as the pants were. A pair of hot pink sneakers with lime green laces on my small feet that my mother had bought for me completed my outfit. (I absolutely hate these shoes. They're pink! I have enough of that color on my head!)

Overall, I looked small. I mean smaller than usual. My long hair was still wet even though I had done my best to dry it with paper towels. And without a blow dryer, my overgrown bangs hung in my face. I looked like a starved sheep dog.

I sighed heavily and started to head for English when I realized something.

'Damn it! I left my bag in the nurses' office!'

I dashed out of the hallway into the increasing crowd of students who were on their way to class. Before I could make my way to the staircase, a manicured hand painfully dug into my shoulder, stopping me in my tracks.

"God Ino, your nails must be at _least_ two inches long! Can't you get them done shorter?"

I spun around to see Ino's bright blue eyes burning with anger. She crossed her arms and tilted her chin up at me?

"You should be a little more careful! Of course you'd get a fever running in the rain like that! If Sasuke hadn't found you in the hallway, you might have pneumonia right now!"

Eh? Sasuke?

" It's a good thing I found Gaara in the hallways, you almost made me late to the first cheerleading practice of the school year! Though there has to be _something_ that we can do about that outfit. Maybe Hinata has an extra pair of clothes in her locker, she's always carrying a dress around just in case her father comes to pick her up…"

"Wait, wait Ino stop!" Ino could talk for hours. "Sasuke told you what happened?"

The peeved blonde uncrossed her arms and settled on her hips. "Yes" She said carefully. "I saw him carrying you while I was on my way to my locker. He looked exhausted actually. He only told me that he was taking you to the nurses' office and that if I could, to get you a change of clothes. I figured you had once again ignored the fact that you were getting sick _again_ and ran into the rain without an umbrella _again._ On my way there I bumped into Gaara and asked if he could take your clothes to you…Why? Is there _more_ to the story?" Ino glared a hole into my head. She probably couldn't see my eyes well since they were covered by my hair.

"No. that's about right." I answered quickly. Though I had no reason to lie, I did anyways because I didn't feel like explaining the situation to Ino while I wasn't sure what was going on myself.

Ino's eyes narrowed before she picked up my bag from the floor, stuffing it into my arms.

"Yeah, here, I picked it up when I went to Shizune's office to check up on you. We'll have to talk more later." And with that, Ino turned on her heel and clicked into a classroom a few feet a way.

Okay, so so far no one besides me knows that Kiba has come back and tried to break my arm this morning. But then again why would he know in the first place? Knowing all of this, something still bugged me. Sasuke had appeared in front of me soaked just like I had, but I didn't see him walk into the building before I did. Something was missing. When I couldn't come to the conclusion of what that 'something' was, I gave up. "I'm thinking way too deeply about this" I muttered.

I slung my backpack over my shoulder and shuffled down the hallway into my English class.

When I entered that classroom, everyone was stared at me.

'_Duh, I look like an idiot'_

"Are you…" a voice pulled my attention to the front of the room where Asuna-sensei my English teacher stood. "You're Sakura Haruno, correct?" Asuna- glanced at the roster in his hand then back up at me.

I shook my bangs out of my eyes and smiled weakly. "Yup, that's me hehe."

Asuna looked at me quizzically but didn't ask any questions. "Take a seat."

I shuffled to a desk in the back and dropped my bag next to it. Of course this made a resounding 'clunk' causing Asuna to stop his lesson once _again_. He looked back at me from the blackboard.

"Quietly"

I blushed and took my seat. Just then someone tapped my shoulder. I looked left to see Naruto smiling at me. Naruto's smile is like magic. It's refreshing, like cool air and you can't help but to smile back.

"Hey, I got switched into your class this morning! Isn't that awesome? Now you can help me with my homework!" I chuckled, shaking my head.

"You're going to need a little bit more than _my_ help to pass Asuna's class Naruto." The blond boy frowned.

"But that lady at Guidance said that this was the easiest English class available."

I shook my head. "It may be the easiest class that the school offers, but Asuna teaches it. He usually teaches AP classes. This will be no different than taking an honor's class."

"Aw man, are you serious?"

"If I have to turn my head from this chalkboard again, someone's getting kicked out of class" Asuna glared at Naruto and me dangerously.

Naruto grumbled under his breathe, slouching and shuffling in his chair. "Seriously..." He suddenly popped up as if he remembered something, his blue eyes shining at me in realization. "Oh, yeah! Why are you so late? And…uh..." He gestured towards my clothes "What's with the outfit? Holy cow you're soaked! Why didn't I realize that sooner? Do you need a towel or something?"

Asuna's chalk painfully screeched on the blackboard. "Uzumaki! Out!"

Naruto's mouth dropped open. "Whaaaaaat!"

Asuna didn't turn from the chalkboard. "I said; out"

" Wait, no! Please? I promise, I-"

"That's it I'm calling your father."

"That old man is NOT my father!" Naruto stood up sternly. He scanned the room and realized that he had just raised his voice at Asuna and turned his head away in defeat. He then grabbed his notebook from his desk, stuffed it into his backpack and swiftly stormed out of the room.

I wasn't sure what had just happened or why Naruto had suddenly gotten so angry at Asuna for calling Jiraya his father. Jiraya become Naruto's legal guardian after his father had passed from heart disease, when we were about four. Naruto told me he doesn't even remember what his father looked like. His mother had passed during child birth. The only thing that he does know is that his family was well off and that they were well respected. They left him quite a bit of money behind, so technically he still was (quietly as it's kept). Jiraya doesn't talk much to Naruto, but he does take good care of him. As far as I know they have a respectful relationship. Naruto doesn't tell me much. I decided I'd ask him about it at lunch and tried to pay attention to Asuna for the remainder of the period. English is the most _boring_ subject that mankind has come up with so I had a hard time doing that. My thoughts rested on what had happened today instead, until the bell rang.

At lunch, Naruto was missing. Normally this wouldn't bother me since he usually hangs out at the gym with some of his friends during lunch. But today all of his friends were outside hanging by the school fence. This worried me, since Naruto doesn't usually go off on his own. I considered going to ask them when Ino tapped me on the shoulder.

"You alright there?"

I nodded, my bangs falling in my face for the hundredth time that day. "Yeah, I'm just worried about Naruto is all."

Ino rolled her eyes. " He's probably in detention or something, I saw Kakashi stop him in the halls without a hall pass last period." Anyways, what I want to know about is what happened to you this morning, with Sauske. I have a good feeling that you're leaving a few details out of your story." Ino grinned, which was a bad thing.

It meant that she was getting ready to pry me for information and if it's one thing that Ino's good at ('cause school definitely isn't one them) it was prying.

I searched for a way out of the topic. Not that there was anything to hide, since there wasn't much to tell in the first place. Still I had to be cautious around Ino. As caring as she is, Ino talks _a lot_. She tends to mention things that she shouldn't be mentioning in a mixed crowd and the last thing I need was a strange rumor going around about me and Sasuke. Not that there's anything to tell I mean.

"Who cares about that" I started. "I heard Temari's going out with Shikamaru!"

Ino narrowed her eyes at me. "You know what? I don't even want to talk about that. You know how I feel about her! I swear if I had a nickel for every time that girl has stolen a guy from someone I have enough money to buy those Steve Madden pumps I've had my eye on for a while, and that a lots of money! I can't believe that-"

I sighed in relief that Ino would most likely be on the topic of Temari until the school bell rang to end the period. She'd probably be going on about her for the rest of the day.

The sky was still an eerie gray by the time school was over, but it didn't look lie it was dark enough to rain. I had just gotten across the street when I saw something strange in the corner of my eye.

A boy had just crashed into some trash cans in an alley way to my right. He stumbled over them and fell to the ground. From where I was standing I could only see his legs that stuck out from the many trash cans. At that moment, words of wisdom from my father flashed through my mind.

"_If you ever see a stranger on the ground, don't help them up. It could be dangerous. Call 911 and get away from the situation as soon as possible. Even if they seem sick, you don't know them or their intentions."_

At that moment, I probably should have followed my father's words. I should have reported the scene and mad my way home. I should have listened. That's what any good daughter would have done. Then my life would have been safer; easier. But I didn't

Choosing to help that boy, changed my life forever.

Ignoring my fathers' words I ran to the boy's side and removed the trash can lids from on top of him. I was shocked to find that it was Sasuke who had fallen into them.

Sasuke was conscious, breathing heavily and clutching his chest. He shook violently, eyes squeezed shut and teeth bared.

"_And such teeth."_ I thought. They looked strangely sharp. Slowly my hand reached to touch his forehead. I gasped, His skin was freezing.

"Uh…Sasuke?" Mistake.

At that moment his eyes shot open and everything froze. He looked at me with red hot eyes. The same gleaming eyes I had seen in my dream.

Before I knew what was happening, Sasuke had recovered from the ground and had snatched me off my feet. I screamed and tried to pry myself free from his gasp. My struggle was futile as he easily pulled me into his icy arms. I helplessly looked into the empty streets and he pulled me and deeper into the alleyway out of the light.

**Yes the story should be moving fairly quickly from now on. I'm already deep into the next chapter so that should be up next week.**

**As you can see, each of the characters besides Sakura has their own mystery about them. Some' you'll notice now, and others you'll notice later. I never write a paragraph without reason They all have background stories that I'll be tying into the plot from now on.**

**He he^^ **


	8. AN Thanks a lot

Hey guys, Ki here. I just thought I'd like to say thank you for reading all the way up to this point.(Me forgetting about this account and not updating for almost two years..my bad) I'll be aiming to update weekly from now on. I'm trying to make the chapters longer and more in depth as the story develops as well. But it feels kind of weird updating a story, when I'm not sure if anyone even reads it. So if you appreciate what you've read so far, feel free to leave a review every few chapters or so. It'll remind me that I have to continue and FINISH this story, and that it'll be worth it when I do.

New chapter this weekend btw, maybe sooner.

P.S. If you're into NarutoxHinata, you should check out my other story 88 Rose Petals for a softer story. Thank you^^


	9. Beehives beget Strawberries

In the darkness, I heard Sasuke's labored breathing and the only thing I could see were his red eyes; his crimson eyes that put terror in me and stopped my heart. I couldn't breathe; I could move; I was petrified.

He dragged me passed many buildings. I remember making a left, a right, another left. Who knew that an alleyway could turn into a maze? With each step my world became darker. Sasuke then stopped against what I figured was the wall; a dead end; and slid down it until we hit the floor. He cradled me in his icy arms and his chilling nose traced my neck to my collarbone. He breathed deeply and let out a sigh of content. "You're mine" I heard him say. Strangely, I clutched onto the only thing around me; his shirt that was soaked through with cold sweat.

What would happen next? You sometimes see this kind of scene in movies. A few staggering possibilities ran through my mind.

Would he rape me? Would he eat me? Would he kill me? Either way, I'd end up on the evening news as one of those unfortunate teens mangled, bruised and probably dead.

He growled suddenly, shocking me back to life. I shivered, squirmed and whimpered pathetically in his arms as fresh terror rushed into me. I was going to die! I was going to die and there wasn't a thing I could do about it. I swore I could here my heart pounding.

Then something strange happened.

Sasuke suddenly relinquished his death grip on me and doubled over. He hacked and coughed so that his entire body jerked violently. Blood appeared on the asphalt and still his brutal coughing wouldn't cease.

I wasn't sure if I should call a doctor or the police. I timidly called his name. "Sasuke?" I asked carefully, keeping my distance.

Sasuke suddenly exhaled and stood up wiping blood off his chin. I regretted bringing his attention to me when he glared at me with those red eyes and came for me again.

Then a gun shot went off; shooting Sasuke directly in the head. The shot resounded in the air like a firecracker. Sasuke's head cracked on impact away from my face and then slowly lolled to the side. A thick trail of blood oozed from his temple.

. I looked into Sasuke's dulling red eyes as his head rolled to the side. His body fell against the wall, he slid down and became very still.

Then I began to cry. On my jelly legs I crawled away from Sasuke's body and bawled my eyes out.

"Weak of heart aren't you?"

'_That voice'_ I thought, sounds oddly…familiar. I looked frantically at my surroundings but I couldn't see anything in the shade of the alleyway. Of course that didn't mean that no one was there.

Above me, a figure bounded from a fire escape and landed in front of me in one swish of dark loose clothing.

When they stood up I was absolutely shocked to see the warm smile of my Trigonometry teacher.

Kakashi-sensei was grinning at me, but I could only see the smile through his eyes as the rest of his face was shielded from view with a mask. He was covered from the neck down in a loose long sleeved t-shirt and dark pants. His smile seemed out of place in this situation.

"Now then, Sakura was it? We'll need to hurry. Unfortunately, you won't be going home tonight."

My teacher's human, warm face somehow calmed me down a bit. And I could return back to my old self. "What?" Just as useless.

Kakashi-sensei grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet, the odd smile never leaving his face. "Good, you're already standing on your own feet. I trust he didn't bite you? No, you'd be in havoc right about now if he did. Let me see…" Kakashi-sensei twirled me once slowly, and then pulled up my sleeves, examining my wrists. He even pulled on my shirt to check my neck. I was utterly confused.

"Um, excuse me," I started, finally catching my breath." Why would he-"

"Sorry, no time for questions; timing at this point is crucial." He looked over his shoulder.

"Get Sasuke; he'll need treatment as soon as he wakes up."

'_Sasuke? Wakes up?" _

I looked into the alleyway. Seeing no one I looked back at my teacher, confused. "But- but you just _shot_ him!" I pointed accusingly at my teacher. "Didn't you?"

Behind me, someone sighed heavily.  
"I told you to stay away from him, didn't I?"

Gaara strolled out of the shadows with Sasuke and my bag thrown over his shoulder. He looked pissed, to say the least.

"Gaara?"

Gaara spun me around and pushed me onto the sidewalk. "Move, there's still daylight and we'll attract attention."

Gaara continued to shove me towards a black van where Kakashi-sensei was holding the back car door open for me; that same odd smile plastered on his face.

Just then another warning my father had given me when I was small, flashed through my mind.

'_Never get into strange people's cars. It's dangerous, okay Sakura?"_

"No way! I'm not going anywhere!" I tried to push against him but even with a dead man slung over his shoulder, Gaara was too strong for me. Most people were.

"Shut up and get in the car."

I slid onto the leather of the back seats. My eyes followed Gaara as he went around the other side and they widened when he dropped Sasuke in the back with me. He kept my bag with him and went around the car to sit up front. My phone was in my bag.

So much for calling 911.

The van was wide enough so that there was a considerable amount of space between Sasuke and me but I scooted as close to the car door on my side as possible. I mean, he just slid a body in the back seat with me. I mean, if you're going to transport a body, shouldn't you at least put it in the trunk?

Sasuke's head was leaned against the car window. If I hadn't seen Kakashi shoot him myself I would have thought he was only asleep. Something was very off about him. I swore that Kakashi had hit Sasuke straight in the temple. So there should have been blood right? Sasuke's ink black hair covered his most of his face. I could only see the outline of this cheekbone and jaw. When the moonlight hit his face, his skin seemed to…glow. I scanned his head for a bullet hole that didn't seem to exist. There wasn't even a trace of blood anymore.

While I was preoccupied with Sasuke's body next to me Gaara and Kakashi-sensei was having their own conversation up front. Kakashi took the wheel, while Gaara sat in the passenger seat; naturally.

"Okay" Kakashi checked his rearview mirrors carefully", we need to get back to base before nine to prepare.

Gaara collapsed against the head rest "Is it okay to leave her back there with him?" he asked sleepily.

Kakashi started the car. "He shouldn't wake up for a couple of hours. But we'll still need to uh…treat him.

That last line caught my attention and my head snapped front. I took a deep breathe to start an explosion of questions when the car lurched forward and through a red light.

I jumped as Sasuke's head rolled to face me and his shoulder slumped in my direction.

I screamed, "Are you serious! He's dead! Why is back here with me? Where are you taking me? Gaara what's going on here? This is kidnapping! Let me out!"

Kakashi smiled at me from the rearview mirror. "Now, now, you gave up the right to go home quietly the moment you stepped into that alley. You should have just gone home instead of chasing after mysterious boys. Not to worry though, we aren't going far. You'll be out of this car soon. Though, I did warn you that you won't be going home tonight."

I couldn't believe it. My Trigonometry teacher and Gaara were kidnapping me!

I searched the door for a lock. Maybe I could roll out of the car when they hit a traffic light. Then Kakashi-sensei had been running right through them at seventy miles an hour. I was surprised we hadn't hit anything yet. Still I had to try. Except there was no lock. I looked from the door to Gaara, to Kakashi-sensei, to the door to Sasuke and frantically back to the door.

'_Are you serious? What kind of car is this? Forget a child safety lock; this car is a death trap.'_

I didn't even want to think about what would happen if this car got into an accident. If we fell into a river I'd be trapped!

While I was calculating how many ways my life could be ended in this vehicle alone, I heard Kakashi-sensei chuckle in the front seat.

"What's so funny?" I glared at him.

"Relax; you're in good company." He paused to scratch his masked chin. "Uh…for the most part".

'_What's __**that**__ supposed to mean?'_

I glanced at Sasuke who was slumped over next to me. I couldn't see his face anymore.

I shrieked when Sasuke slid a little closer to me as the ride got a little bumpy. Kakashi was now driving on a dirt road surrounded by trees. The woods were thick and I couldn't see anything around.

"Where are we?"

Gaara groaned in the seat ahead of me. He rolled his head lazily from the window towards me. "You're talking a lot more than usual."

I blushed, but held my ground. "There's a lot more to talk about! Like, exactly what kind of relationship do you and Kakashi-sensei have? And what does it have to do with Sasuke? Why did you shoot him? And why-"

"Shut up. No more questions" Gaara said dangerously. His voice was just as smooth and collected as usual, but this time his words held a dangerous venom that chilled me to the bone.

Gaara rolled his head away from me once more and the air became very still in Kakashi-sensei's van. I looked out my window at the moon in the now ink lack sky. It was a half moon tonight but still very beautiful. Somewhere up in the sky a flock of birds moved oddly across the sky.

"What strange birds" I said out loud.

"Those aren't birds; they're bats" Kakashi stated.

I snapped my head to the front of the van. "Bats?" I repeated.

"Mmhmm. It's the sign we've been looking for. First the bats come, and then Sasuke appears. Wherever strawberries grow, a bee hive must be near by"

"And now we hunt" Gaara added coolly.

I suddenly remembered the "strange birds" that I had seen outside my window. Then Sasuke enrolled as a new student the next day. Strawberries and beehives.

"So…Sasuke's a strawberry?" I asked dumbly.

Kakashi chuckled. "Actually he would be the bee. The bats follow him. The question is what kind of bee?"

I raised a brow. I was tired of riddles. I wanted to know what was going! I glanced at the back of Gaara's head before deciding against it.

The car suddenly slowed to a stop. We had come to a dead end and there was nothing but trees surrounding us.

"We're here" Kakashi sung.

"Here?" I looked around and saw nothing but thick evergreen trees. It was impossibly dark and I could barely see about a foot into the trees.

"But where _are _we?" No sooner had I said that did Gaara roll his head to face me again. His eyes were barely open. "Get out" he said sleepily.

Gaara then got out of the car and came around the back with my bag to get Sasuke. Kakashi chuckled once before getting out himself.

I stepped out of the car and was taken back by how amazing the night sky was.

There weren't any streetlight around and the sky seemed to swallow everything around me.

"Don't fall behind" I heard Gaara say.

He and Kakashi-sensei were already headed towards the woods and in moments disappeared into the trees.

Fearful of being left behind in god knows where I ran to catch up.

We moved through the thick forest for what felt like forever. I followed Kakashi-sensei's back and wondered if my parents were worried that I hadn't come home yet.

It wouldn't be the first time I had come home after dark but I usually called first if I was going anywhere after school.

Then again they might not notice at first.

My mother had to be at the night shift by now.

My father would have come home from work, drained and would fall asleep on the couch. He might not even realize that I wasn't there until about ten. Hopefully he would just get off the couch, assume I had come home and go to bed. Yeah…

My father's not dumb. He'd notice eventually.

I rubbed my wrists wishing that a watch was there, so that I knew what time it was.

It was pretty dark but still early in the fall so it had to be about eight-ish...

I imagined that just ahead of Kakashi was Gaara carrying Sasuke….and my bag…with my phone…with the time…and hopefully service.

We finally came to a clearing though it was so dark I didn't realize it until I could the crunching of wet grass under my feet.

We continued walking until we hit a sudden decline.

At the bottom of the hill, I could see the outlining of what looked like an old blue barn.

"Home, sweet home" Kakashi-sensei said. "Let's pick up the pace, he should be up soon.

Gaara grunted ahead of Kakashi. "You carry him. This guys dead weight. I swear he's heavier than before."

"That means he's changing quicker than I anticipated. He's already regenerating and might start breathing soon. We need to hurry."

What?

Kakashi and Gaara quickened their pace while I tried not to trip and embarrass myself.

I didn't want to think about exactly what they meant when Kakashi said "regenerating" so I opted for a different question.

"What's a barn doing in the middle of nowhere?"

"This isn't 'nowhere' " Kakashi answered. "We are in the middle of a wildlife preserve. This place is off limits to most people and there isn't cell phone reception for miles so people usually stay clear of this place. Especially since we're so deep in the woods."

My heart sank at his answer and I made a mental note to refrain myself from asking anymore questions for a while.

We stopped in front of the barn and I realized that it wasn't actually made of wood, the way most barns are. From a far it looked normal but up close, you could tell that the entire thing was actually made up of some sort of metal.

Kakashi stepped in front of what looked like a keypad next to one of the large sliding doors that were painted a darker blue than the rest of the barn. He paused and looked at me; the odd smile on his face had disappeared.

"What you are about to witness doesn't exist to the outside world yet this establishment is responsible for keeping millions of lives safe and oblivious to many dangers that walk this planet everyday, blending in amongst its victims. Before we go any further you must understand that you mustn't tell a single soul, alive or undead about what you encounter today for the rest of your life. If you cannot agree to that I will have to _kill_ you this very moment, on this spot.

I shivered involuntarily. I had a feeling that he wasn't lying. I had just received a death threat from my Trigonometry teacher. Realization struck me that by reaching out to Sasuke, that by allowing myself to be driven all the way out here, travelling all this way, I had become apart of something big; something that the rest of the world knew nothing of and would never know. Everyone at school would wake up the next day, go to class, study for exams, get summer jobs, hang out at the mall and fall asleep knowing only that. But I would be different. So different, that I had to keep it a secret because no one would believe me. And because it could very much cost me my life.

On stood sturdy on my feet and swallowed hard, tired of being scared and uncertain. I would find out exactly what I had become a part of and face it without the tears. I opened my mouth and spoke the words that would seal my fate.

"Okay, I'm sworn to secrecy."

Behind me Gaara snorted, amused but I ignored him.

Kakashi's odd smile returned to his face this time, seeming very much in place. He faced the keypad and punched in a combination.

He then stepped back as the large metal doors began to slide open.

"Sakura Haruno, congratulations, you have just become an agent of Section 245, the Head Quarters of the VCC; also known as the Vampire Control Center. Welcome to the family."

And then Kakashi's smile was swallowed blinding light

**Thank you for being patient. I find that the deeper I get into this story the more time I spend planning and developing it so it takes longer to update. I still can't make the chapters as long as I'd like but thank you for reading this far^^**

**I enjoy reading reviews of my stories so please feel free to write one for this chapter.**


	10. The Hierarchy

All words that I'd just heard were lost. My eyes couldn't adjust. They wouldn't adjust to the bright light that was emitted from the barn. I squeezed my eyes shut and turned away from the barn. I couldn't see anything. I could hardly remember what Kakashi had told me moments ago. But I could hear Gaara swear from behind me at Kakashi.

"Shut that damn thing off! You can probably see it from space!"

I could hear Kakashi mutter an apology and in moments the blinding light that penetrated through my eyelids dissolved.

I heard footsteps crunch in my direction before a pair of heavy hands rested on my shoulders me.

"You can open your eyes now" I heard Kakashi say.

I carefully lifted my head and peeled my eyelids open. I could see annoying flashes of light every time I blinked but soon my eyes adjusted. I glared angrily at Kakashi's stupid smile.

"What the hell was that?" I screamed at him. The fact that Kakashi was indeed a teacher had completely eluded my mind at this point; if he really _was_ a real teacher that is.

"Very strong UV lamps, containing twice the mercury content than normal" he replied, that idiotic smile never leaving his face.

What?

"Are you out of your mind? Those are UV rays! Can't that give you cancer or brain damage or something? You're crazy! What's wrong with regular light bulbs, you almost blinded me!"

The masked man took a moment to scratch his masked chin. "I suppose" he said. "But it does the job of keeping certain vermin out,"

I titled my head to the side. This was an animal reserve. What kind of vermin could possibly be weak against annoyingly bright light bulbs? Moles?

"Plus" he continued. "This barn has a unique insulation that doesn't allow any harmful UV rays escape the barn while they're arm so that no animals are harmed."

"Kakashi, we're wasting time." Gaara's feet crunched in the wet grass towards the barn door. We can give her an explanation later." Carrying Sasuke's body, Gaara disappeared into the now very dark barn.

Kakashi smiled at me and shrugged his shoulders. "Shall we follow suit?"

Should we? He didn't give me time to answer as he had already disappeared into the barn after Gaara, leaving me alone. Alone? By myself? Out in a life reserve? With wild animals? Uh…no.

I quickly followed in after them and almost stumbled down the unassuming staircase about three steps inside. I soon figured out that this barn wasn't a barn at all. I groped along the wall until my hand grabbed hold of a cold metal banister. I gulped.

"Are you coming?" My teacher's voice echoed a few steps ahead of me.

"Yeah!" I called back.

"Good. Could you get the door? There should be a latch right behind you."

I found the latch to my right and pulled it down. The large barn doors smoothly slid closed, leaving us in complete darkness.

"Oh God" I thought out loud.

"Is there a problem?" His voice was further down now.

I didn't want to be left behind so I grabbed the banister and started down the staircase.

"Uh, No!" I called back. I carefully stepped down the cold metal staircase that wound down on a gentle slope. I would have made my way down quicker if it wasn't so dark. Knowing how clumsy I am I wasn't going to chance tripping and falling down the stairs into god knows who for the second time today.

There stairs spiraled down what felt like miles. The further down we climbed the colder it got; too cold for September. I probably would have been able to see the cool traces of my breathe if I could see anything at all. All the while all I could hear were Kakashi and Gaara's footsteps. All the while I felt like an accomplice to a crime knowing that Gaara was still carrying Sasuke's body. Was he really dead?

A sudden warmth in the air gushed through me. I could now see a faint orange glow below us.

"Here we are; Home sweet home." Kakashi's voice echoed pleasantly a few steps ahead of me.

Someone opened a door; Gaara, assuming he was in front, and warn light spilled onto the staircase. I could now see that I was only behind by a few steps and hurried down the rest of the now softly illuminated staircase.

At the bottom of the steps there was what looked like a living room. It was warm and inviting. The room spoke to me and it said, "money". Plush looking cream leather sofa set, ceramic plated coffee table, full plush looking carpet, a flat screen tv perched perfectly on a glass entertainment center, heavy looking exotic portraits hung on every smooth cream colored wall. There were heavy ornate vases with fresh flowers on glass tables pushed against the walls that matched the crystal chandelier that hung above our heads. My feat sunk into the carpet underneath my feet.

I could see that past the living room a warmly lit hallways that lead to a kitchen. To the right of the hallway's threshold was another spiraling staircase that led to a chrome door almost ten feet above our heads.

"This place is…" I was lost for words.

"Looks a bit out of a teacher's budget doesn't it?" Kakashi was at the coffee table. He had shrugged off his jacket and let it fall carelessly to the floor. In no time he was working at what looked like a utility belt from his waist. Kakashi unsnapped a few things and let the whole ensemble of leather straps and metal clunk to the floor before sliding into the couch.

'_What the….that thing looks monstrous!'_

I swore I saw a gun.

A few clicks of shoes clucking on metal brought my attention to Gaara who was making his way up the staircase that was across the room to the mysterious space; Sasuke's body slung over his shoulder.

I shivered. "Uh…"

"Hmm?" Kakashi replied sluggishly. My heart pounded in my ears. I squeezed my fists tight as I felt my face flush. I needed answers about what was going on around me before my head exploded from confusion! I suck in a deep breathe.

I stared hard at my teacher before me. He answered my stern with a lazy one. It looked like her would fall asleep at any moment. But I wouldn't break my stare from his eyes until he told me how I had ended up miles away from my home and an accomplice to the murder of my classmate.

"What's going to happen to Sasuke?" I demanded.

Kakashi sighed the way my father did when he had to explain to me ten years ago why my first pet goldfish floated at the top of the tank and wouldn't eat anymore It was because he died but explaining death to a six year old was no easy task.

"Sasuke should be in the tricky process of being revived."

"Excuse me?"

I air between us became strangely still.

"Allow me to explain what you…_unfortunately_ witnessed this evening. Take a seat."

Kakashi's eyed creased into a smile as he motioned for me to sit in one of the couches in front of him.

I settled for the love seat adjacent to his left side and tried to find a comfortable spot in the couch that all but swallowed me whole in its lushness.

Kakashi chuckled at my struggle. "Comfy?"

I ignored his sarcastic remark and scooted to the edge of the love seat so that I could prop myself up. Once I decided I was settled I rested my gaze on Kakashi's face and nodded once to cue that I was finally ready. Or at least I thought I was.

"What you saw today was the intervention of a Blood Run."

I blinked like Kakashi hadn't said anything to me at all. He continued his story.

"In this world there are creatures that exist outside of and beyond the fairytales that we read on books. Some of them exist to assist mankind, some live as bystanders, indifferent to our existence and some creatures live to end it."

My eyes widened in realization. The few words that Kakashi said to me before he unlocked the barn shed's doors suddenly flooded into me.

_"Sakura Haruno, congratulations, you have just become an agent of Section 245, the Head Quarters of the VCC; also known as the Vampire Control Center. Welcome to the family."_

"No way."

Kakashi simply smiled and continued. "The VCC, also known as Vampire Control Center is in charge of controlling the biggest pest problem that mankind has ever seen. We are responsible for protecting the human race from vampires."

What?

My eye twitched. "You mean to tell me…that Sasuke is not dead? That he's….a vampire?"

Kakashi scratched his chin. "Not quite. Sasuke is a more of a mutt. You see, there are different classifications of vampire. Please pay attention Sakura this is very important."

"_Well what the hell did he think I was doing just a minute ago? Oh.. He probably to my shocked expression as a look of dismissal." _

In the midst of me musing to myself, Kakashi had pulled out a notepad and pencil and began drawing out some sort of chart over the coffee table. I leaned over the table and found that he drew out a four step pyramid. He pointed to the second block from the top and wrote in big letters 'Proli'.

"There is a hierarchy of vampire. There are the _Proli_. These are vampires that have been successfully turned by one of the original vampires also known as the _Primus._" He paused to label the top block 'Primus'

"The Primus have existed for centuries and are 'pure blooded' vampires."

Kakashi then moved to the third block down.

"Vampires successfully turned by the Proli" he continued "are known as the _Forits_. They are very strong willed because they keep with them their human spirit even after they are turned but they are no longer considered living. They aren't as strong as the Proli but they are the most common kind of vampire." Kakashi looked up from his notepad. Are you with me so far?"

"I think so." I said as I rustled my hair with my fingers. I shook my head once to make sure I wasn't dreaming for good measure. To be honest this was the craziest thing I have ever had to listen to. I think I took it so well because it sounded so far fetched. Then I thought of Sasuke. I remembered the terror I felt in the alleyway. I remembered his red eyes that resembled those of a monster and shivered involuntarily.

"Are you alright?" Kakashi asked, his voice filled with genuine concern.

'_Get it together Sakura!' _I coached myself.

"Yes I'm fine. You said those _successfully _turned. Was Sasuke not a successful transformation?"

He shook his head. "Not everyone's transformation goes as smoothly as others. Sasuke was most likely turned by a Fortis. Since they are the third step down from the most pure of vampire," he referred to the chart ", their blood is weaker. You see to be successfully turned into a vampire you have to be bitten by one. From there a sort of venom or virus is injected into your bloodstream very much like when you are bitten by a poisonous snake. When bitten by a Primus or a Proli this virus spreads quickly and begins to transform your body faster than your immune system can fight it off; you could be fully transformed in hours even _minutes_ if you were bitten by a Primus. But if you're bitten by a Fortis the virus is considerably weaker giving your body more time to fight it off."

Kakashi paused and checked his wrist watch before glancing at the room that Gaara had disappeared to almost fifteen minutes ago. He sighed heavily and looked back at his chart.

"There are a few things that can happen when you are bitten by a Fortis" he explained.

He separated the last block on the bottom into two sections.

"You can become a _Pars. _Essentially the lowest form of vampire and are regarded as scum in the vampire world. They're usually recruited as minions or servants for the Primus and their Proli. But if the virus injected isn't strong enough the human body can create enough antibodies to fight it but not enough to kill it altogether." My teacher now looked up from his pad at me.

"They are called the _Atrox,_ a sort of midway point between human and vampire." Kakashi leaned back from the coffee table and twirled the pen in his hand continuing his story.

"This transformation can take days even weeks to complete because the virus is so weak. The victim will start to experience symptoms of _vampirism_ if you will. This includes unnaturally pale skin, loss of appetite, sensitivity to sunlight.." he trailed of and looked to the mysterious room above us once more.

My thoughts went back to the first time I'd met Sasuke. His cold eyes on me and the strange confrontation that we'd had in the hallway.

'_It's you'_

"Do they target specific people?" I suddenly asked

My teacher gave a quizzical look. "Not that I'm aware of. But they do experience what you witnessed today and that is an uncontrollable thirst for blood."

I was alert now. "So, if he had bit me..I could have-"

Kakashi held up his hand to stop me shaking his head. "No, an atrox is simply a human with the behavior of a thirsted vampire. They're kind of like zombies; essentially humans that thirst for blood. But blood alone cannot sustain a human so Atrox eventually die. He couldn't have changed you, but he most certainty could have killed you."

I played with my hands and focused on my lap while my teacher continued his explanation.

"Gaara is in the middle of reviving Sasuke. It is impossible to change a person back into a human once they have been bitten. But it may be possible to complete his transformation."

My head snapped up. "You're trying to turn him into a vampire?" Was he insane?

The man before me smiled. "We are attempting to turn Sasuke into a vampire strong enough to be considered a Proli."

I glared at him. Nothing he was saying was making any sense. Prolis , Primus blood, atrox, it was all wrong! Why would he want to create another vampire if his purpose was to control them? And what on earth was a Blood Run? Kakashi seemed to have read my thoughts...or my confused expression.

"You see we want Sasuke on our side."

Every answer that Kakashi gave me lead to more questions; questions that would have to wait as our conversation was interrupted by the sound of an alarm.

Both Kakashi and I shot up from our seats.

"What's wrong? " I asked nervously.

"There's been a break in. You need to leave" he answered quickly.

"Leave? Where am I going?"

Kakashi was already snapping on his belt. "Sakura go upstairs to the back room, now!" He stopped momentarily and looked at me like I had half a brain. "What are you waiting for? Hurry before they find out you're here."

"They?"

Kakashi clearly ran out of patience with me and my questions. He pushed me in the direction of the room that Gaara was currently in and jogged towards the living room entrance. He flipped a switch in the wall and the alarm stopped. He flipped another switch and an eerie smoke began to pour into the room. By the time I had reached the stairs Gaara had burst open the door and was making his way down them; a silver pistol in hand.

"What is she still doing here?" he yelled.

"It won't be a problem if she goes into hiding!" Kakashi yelled back.

"Are you serious? They're probably coming for Sasuke! And when they find out she's here they'll take her too!" Gaara then forcefully grabbed my arm and yanked me up the first couple of steps.

"Get out of here!"

I ran up the stairs frantically unsure of what I was running from. Once I reached the top I grabbed the cold metal handle bar on the door and looked over my shoulder once.

The entire room was engulfed in smoke and the temperature had lowered considerably. I couldn't see either Gaara or Kakashi anymore and that scared me.

In one breathe I pulled open the door and shut it behind me. No sooner had I done that did I hear shots.

I ducked to the ground, cover my ears and shut my eyes.

I heard more shots, there was a sudden crash and then the power went out.

**So it has been an unreasonably long time since my last update. I've had a really rough semester and almost anything that could have happened to me did, both good and bad. This chapter was originally longer but I think that the next scene would have caused this chapter to be extremely long. It's hard to cut this story into chapters because one scene rolls into another… Enough with my excuses…I WILL finish this story!**

**References: all of the vampire titles are Latin words**

**Primus: First (title given to the oldest generation of vampires**

**Proli: Offspring: child (title given to the second generation)**

**Fortis: Strong (third generation)**

**Pars: Part (vampire created by fortis)**

**Atrox: terrible, cruel, horror (name given to human/ vampire hybrid)**

**Ten reviews for this chapter says this story gets updated next week^^ (Considering I already have most of it written out)**


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